Funeral In Berlin - Len Deighton

The Cold War is such an inherently captivating and dramatic setting that is tempting to say that even a writer of mediocre talents should be capable of turning out a moderately praiseworthy spy novel set in the period. In reality, a high degree of suppleness.finesse and knowledge is required to write a convincing and exciting one, and but few are endowed with these capabilities. One of the people possessing these talents is Len Deighton, author of Funeral In Berlin.

The initial plot of Funeral In Berlin centres on a plan to arrange the defection of an eminent Soviet scientist to the West, via certain "intermediaries".  However, the waters become muddied, as the murky and equivocal backgrounds of some characters are gradually unfurled. The shadow of the death-camps, collaboration and war-crimes soon descends. On several levels, I detected echoes of this book in Frederick Forsyth's later novel The Odessa File.

The beginning of the story is suitably enigmatic, helping to convey the shifty, subterranean world of espionage.  The eccentricities, the double lives, the solitude, the boredom and the loneliness. There is shrewdly sparse exposition, dropping miniscule morsels, for instance leading the reader to be inquisitive about the importance, or otherwise, of various characters.

Many of the spy thrillers of the era portray London as a grim, monochrome and austere place.  Funeral In Berlin partially follows this trend, but there are a few definite splashes of Swinging Sixties optimism and style. In this novel, Deighton also creates a vivid sensation of a Berlin full of contrasts, vibrancy and character, more freewheeling and "technicolour" than is often depicted.

Another intriguing aspect of the story is the series of references to the development of the post-war German psyche, at what some might describe as a transitional point between the aftermath of the war and the blossoming of the new, modern, prosperous Germany.  A time of tension, opportunity and confusion, where the ambition and self-confidence of certain people helps to mask their deep-seated fears or guilt.

I would say that the plot of Funeral In Berlin is less intellectually arduous than some other espionage thrillers, but the storyline is no less clever for all that. Rather than being rigidly taxing and impenetrable , it consists of a series of fluid jigsaw pieces, each carrying strong hints, with a few different permutations available. It is simply a case of the segments becoming joined, although some elements of the overall picture are still a little ambiguous, and left to the imagination of the reader, at the end.

This was the first Len Deighton work which I have read, and I was greatly impressed by his whimsical style in painting pictures with words, and scene-setting. Real care is exercised in fleshing out the characters to make them seem plausible and human, and a clever ploy is to emphasize traits or eccentricities of players, which eventually turn out to be red herrings, but enhance the overall tapestry and atmosphere.

A nice touch was the series of chess analogies, both by way of the quotations introducing each chapter, and the references to the game in the "dialogue".  One of those things which contributes towards lifting something above the ordinary.

I didn't find Funeral In Berlin to be quite as suspenseful or pulsating as some thrillers which I could mention, but then again it probably wasn't intended as a thriller, but a spy novel.  Judged on those terms, it is a very enjoyable, well conceived and astutely structured novel....

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold - John le Carre

One of the few types of modern-ish fiction which truly excites my enthusiasm is the spy thriller.  One of the high water-marks of the genre is "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold", by John le Carre.

Several factors combine to make this a special and memorable read.  The brilliantly conceived and thought-out plot, and the fact that it occasionally eschews standard spy thriller territory, are among these. I had seen the superb film adaptation, starring Richard Burton, before reading the novel. Whether this in itself was an advantage as regards my appreciation and enjoyment of the book, I am not entirely certain....

Here is a link to my brief blog post about the film.....The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (movie)

Certainly, some of the visuals from the movie were imprinted in the forefront of my mind as a I worked my way through the novel, added to some images which my imagination brought forth independently!  In book form, the at times brutal and unscrupulous nature of Cold War espionage came across just as, if not more, acutely.  The prominence given to the Berlin Wall in the story enhances the sense of foreboding and menace.

I think somebody approaching the book first would find it easier to grasp the narrative, and untangle the intrigue.  The descriptive text leaves fewer things "implied" than in celluloid format, and more tasty morsels are left on the table, inviting the reader to discern where things may ultimately be leading. The various themes and sub-texts are developed with some subtlety, and the whole premise of Alec Leamas's mission, and the elaborate plan which accompanied it, gradually become clearer.  The Leamas character itself is given real depth, and pathos, even allowing for the facade which he is instructed to construct by his superiors.

Just as a much as the monochrome of the movie, the prose here amply evokes the grim, cheerless and uneasy atmosphere which we are constantly told was pervasive in the late 50s and early 60s.  Another thing which struck me when reading this novel was the detachment of the masses from those who were nominally assigned to protect them, and from those with lofty if naive ideals.  This is alluded to several times in the text.

I find it difficult to imagine that in its field, "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold" has been surpassed since it was published.  A masterly piece of story-telling.